The Deputy Minister of Vocational Training Jorge Arevalo and the Director of Technology and Advanced Learning Rikardo Lamadrid, presided over the fifth edition of the Championship of electric vehicles manufactured by Vocational Training centers, Euskelec, held on May 29 in Donostia. Throughout the day, the electric vehicles manufactured by the students of VET underwent dynamic and endurance tests on a circuit that was set up in the center of San Sebastian, between Alderdi Eder and the Boulevard.
This edition, organized by Tknika (Basque VET Applied Research Centre, under the Department of Education), had the participation of 30 electric vehicles with more than 600 VET students from all over the state. Among these teams, it is worth mentioning the performance of SOMORACING, the team formed by students from the automotive, marketing and telecommunications specialties of Somorrostro.
On this occasion, our team arrived at this final day with very high expectations since they had passed with flying colors the previous phases of the project (presentations of their projects and pre-verification of the vehicles, project report, design and innovation, among other aspects).
The test was broadcast live on Somorrostro’s youtube channel thanks to the incomparable work of telecommunications students and teachers of the center, who made it possible to enjoy live all the tests of the day. (https://youtu.be/14kvFJ1ce3M)
Throughout the morning the first dynamic tests were carried out (acceleration, braking and slalom) and in the afternoon the final endurance test was disputed in which our team finished in tenth place in a test that the team of Guarnizo dominated from start to finish.
What is Euskelec?
Euskelec is a competition in which students from Vocational Training centers design and build a 100% electric vehicle on a common motor base (motor, motor controller and batteries). The initiative aims to promote teamwork among students and to base the experimental and creative activity as a pedagogical element on the technical knowledge of electric vehicles.
Euskelec consists of two phases: a technical and creative phase, for the presentation of the prototype; and a dynamic phase (which takes place today) in which the performance, characteristics and design of the vehicles are evaluated through slalom, acceleration and maximum braking tests, among others.
Phase 1: creative technical area. This first phase took place on April 28 at the AIC Center facilities in the Boroa Business Park in Amorebieta-Etxano. In it, the participating teams made the presentations of their projects and pre-verifications of the vehicles, before a tribunal (project memory, design and innovation, among other issues).
Phase 2: dynamic tests. It is taking place today at the Alderdi Eder Park in Donostia-San Sebastian. This is the day in which the teams test their prototype on the circuit.
Braking: consists of stopping the car in the shortest possible distance at a speed of at least 25 km/h.
Acceleration: the time taken by the single-seater to cover 60 meters from a standstill is timed.
Slalom: the time taken by the single-seater to complete one lap of the slalom circuit.
Endurance test: the car capable of covering the greatest distance in the time of 75 minutes is evaluated. The vehicles will be placed in the starting order defined by the qualifying test. Each pass through the finish line will be counted, so that the team that passes through the finish line the most times (makes the most laps) will win.
30 teams, 30 vehicles
Year after year the number of prototypes participating in Euskelec is increasing, with young people and teams coming from increasingly more distant and diverse geographical areas. Basque students will compete this Sunday with other students from Cantabria, Madrid, Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia or Castilla la Mancha, and even from Iparralde.
